NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Baluchistan, Pakistan

The province of Balochistan (or Baluchistan) of Pakistan contains roughly the part of Balochistan that falls within the borders of present-day Pakistan. Neighbouring regions are Iranian Balochistan to the west, Afghanistan and Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Pakistan to the north and Punjab and Sindh to the east. To the south is the Arabian Sea. The province of Balochistan (or Baluchistan) of Pakistan contains roughly the portion of Balochistan that falls within the borders of present-day Pakistan. ... The Iranian part of Balochistan (or Baluchistan). ... Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) are areas of Pakistan outside any of the four provinces, comprising a region of some 27,220 km² (10,507 mi²). Neighbouring regions are: Afghanistan to the west with the border marked by the Durand Line, North-West Frontier to the north, Punjab to the... The Punjab/ پنجاب province of Pakistan is part of the larger Punjab region. ... Sindh (Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. ... The Arabian Sea is the part of the Indian Ocean between the Arabian Peninsula and India. ...

Balochistan is geographically the largest of the four provinces at 347,190 km², but has the smallest population: approximately 6.3 million in 1994. The population density is very low due to the moutainous terrain and scarcity of water. The southern region is known as Makran. A region in the centre of the province is known as Kalat. To help compare orders of magnitude of different geographical regions, we list here surface areas between 100,000 km² and 1,000,000 km². See also areas of other orders of magnitude. ... Square kilometre (US spelling: Square kilometer), symbol km², is an SI unit of surface area. ... Makran is the southern region of Balochistan, in Iran and Pakistan along the coast of the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman. ... The city of Kalat is located roughly in the center of Balochistan, Pakistan, south and slightly west of the provincial capital Quetta. ...

The capital city is Quetta, located in the most densely populated district in the northeast of the province. Quetta is situated in a river valley near the border with Afghanistan, with a road to Kandahar in the northwest. Quetta is the capital of the province Balochistan in Pakistan. ... For the hamlet in Saskatchewan, Canada; see Kandahar, Saskatchewan. ...

At Gwadar on the coast the Pakistani government is currently undertaking a large project with Chinese help to build a large port. This is being done partially to provide the Pakistani Navy with another base, and to reduce Pakistan's reliance on Karachi, which currently is the only major port. Gwadar is a coastal town located in the province of Balochistan in Pakistan. ... The Pakistan Navy, is the naval wing of the Pakistan military. ... The Karachi Port Trust Building Karachi (کراچي) is the largest city of Pakistan and the capital of the province of Sindh. ...

History

Balochistan was the site of the earliest known farming settlements in south Asia even though it rests geographically upon the Iranian plateau, the earliest of which was Mehrgarh dated at 6500 BC. The province of Balochistan (or Baluchistan) of Pakistan contains roughly the portion of Balochistan that falls within the borders of present-day Pakistan. ... Farming, ploughing rice paddy, in Indonesia Agriculture is the process of producing food, feed, fiber and other desired products by cultivation of certain plants and the raising of domesticated animals (livestock). ... Map of South Asia South Asia is a subregion of Asia, usually comprising the modern states of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. ... The Iranian plateau covers much of Iran and Afghanistan. ... Mehrgarh was an ancient settlement in South Asia and is one of the most important sites in archaeology for the study of the earliest neolithic settlements in that region. ...

Balochistan was sparsely populated by various Elamo-Dravidian and Indo-Iranian tribes for centuries following the decline of the nearly Harappa-Mohenjo-daro civilization to the east. Aryan invasions appear to has led to the eventual demise of the Elamo-Dravidians with the exception of the Brahui who may have arrived much later as did the Balochis themselves. The Balochis began to arrive from their homeland in northern Iran and appear to be an offshoot of the Kurdish tribes that would mainly populate the western end of the Iranian plateau. The Balochi tribes eventually became a sizeable group rivalled only by another Iranian group, the Pashtuns, while the Brahuis increasingly came under the cultural influence of the Balochis. Muslim Arab invaders annexed the region during the Abbasid period and conversion to Islam was coupled with a Balochi cultural adoption of Arab culture as well. Today, many Balochis believe that their origins are Semitic and not Iranian contrary to lingusitic and historical evidence. Balochi tradition holds that they left their Allepo homeland at some point during the 1st millenium CE and moved to Balochistan, but it appears more likely that the Balochis are an Iranian group who have absorbed some Arab ancestry and cultural traits instead. Balochistan subsequently was dominated by empires based in Iran and Afghanistan as well as the Mughal empire based in India. Ahmad Shah Durrani annexed the region as part of a "greater" Afghanistan. The area would eventually revert to local Balochi control, while parts of the northern regions would continue to be dominated by Pashtun tribes. Harappa is a city in Punjab, northeast Pakistan, located beside a former course of the Ravi River; about 35km southwest of Sahiwal. ... Mohenjo-daro (literally, mound of the dead), like Harappa, was a city of the Indus Valley civilization. ... Brahui may refer to: The Brahui language The Brahui people This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Abbasid provinces during the caliphate of Harun al-Rashid Abbasid was the dynastic name generally given to the caliphs of Baghdad, the second of the two great Sunni dynasties of the Muslim empire, that overthrew the Umayyid caliphs. ... The Mughal Empire (alternative spelling Mogul, which is the origin of the word Mogul) of India was founded by Babur in 1526, when he defeated Ibrahim Lodi, the last of the Delhi Sultans at the First Battle of Panipat. ... See Ahmad Shah Qajar for the Persian ruler (1909-1925). ...

During the period of the British Raj, there were four Princely States in Balochistan: Makran, Kharan, Las Bela and Kalat, the largest and most powerful. During the first few decades of the 20th century it became clear that the British would eventually leave and that India would be partitioned. In many Indian languages, Raj literally means Prince or Royalty. ... A princely state or native state was a feudal monarchy in British India ruled by a hereditary ruler, who was nominally sovereign. ...

Kalat was ruled by Mir Ahmed Yar Khan, who wanted independence rather than possible Pakistani rule. Indeed, the British had given many Princely States the choice of either India, Pakistan or independence during the immediate pre-partition period (though they were worried of having too many independent nations). When the British eventually gave India (and the newly-created Pakistan) independence in August 1947 Mir Ahmed Yar Khan declared Kalat's independence. Though this was not a Baloch-wide movement, many Baloch chiefs sympathised with the movement. 1947 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

In April 1948 the Pakistani army was brought in, and Mir Ahmed Yar Khan signed an accession agreement ending Kalat's de facto independence. His brother, Prince Abdul Karim, decided to carry on the struggle. Basing himself in Afghanistan he conducted a guerilla war against the Pakistani army. However, this eventually failed. 1948 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Guerrilla (also called a partisan) is a term borrowed from Spanish (from guerra meaning war) used to describe small combat groups. ...

Parts of Balochistan were held by Oman as late as the 1950s, but they were eventually turned over to Pakistan. Included in these areas is the coastal city of Gwadar. Gwadar is a coastal town located in the province of Balochistan in Pakistan. ...

In 1955 the provinces of West Paskistan (excluding areas of Pakistani-hled Kashmir) were amalgamted into One Unit. This was resented by many Baloch, as well as other peoples in Pakistan such as the Pashtuns. The One Unit measure was seen as a Punjabi centralising move aimed at removing power from the provinces. This resulted in a Baloch uprising, with several battles between Balochs and the Pakistani army. A guerilla war continued on into the 1960's, with several large-scale battled in 1964-65. This continued sporadically until One Unit was finally abolished in 1970. 1955 is a common year starting on Saturday. ... 1970 was a common year starting on Thursday. ...

In 1973, Pakistan's ruler Zulfikar Ali Bhutto dismissed Balochistan's provinical government. He said that Soviet guns and ammunition had been being found in Islamabad destined for Balochistan. Bhutto informed US president Richard Nixon of the find. 1973 was a common year starting on Monday. ... Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (January 5, 1928 - April 4, 1979) was a Pakistani politician who served as President, from 1971 to 1973, and as Prime Minister, from 1973 to 1977, of Pakistan. ... Faisal Mosque, located in Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan, was built in 1986. ... Order: 37th President Vice President: Spiro Agnew (1969–1973), Gerald Ford (1973–1974) Term of office: January 20, 1969 – August 9, 1974 Preceded by: Lyndon B. Johnson Succeeded by: Gerald Ford Date of birth: January 9, 1913 Place of birth: Yorba Linda, California Date of death: April 22, 1994 Place...

The Balochs were furious at the move and rose up against the Pakistanis. Eventually around 80,000 Pakistani troops were called in to quell the large uprising. Balochs attacked oil surveyers and cut roads.

The largest confrontation took place in September 1974 when around 15,000 Balochs fought the Pakistani army, which was armed with planes and helicopters. After three days of fighting the Balochs were running out of ammunition and so withdrew. 1974 is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ...

After this there was a continued guerilla war, with some basing themselves in Afghanistan (the Afghan government complied with this and offered some financial support).

In 1977 General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq took over in Pakistan. Announcing victory in Balochistan, he withdrew troops. By this time around 9000 - 10,000 people had died. The uprising itself had suffered from a lack of direction. Some Baloch wanted independence, others only greater autonomy within Pakistan. Attacks were organised by individual Baloch chiefs, rather then an organised Baloch-wide attack. Also, the Baloch hoped to get the support of the USSR, which never happened. Also, the large Pashtun minority in Balcohistan did not take part and were hostile to the idea of an independent Balochistan. For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... Gen. ...

Since the 1970's there has been some small-scale violence. The area had been badly affected by fighting and instability in Afghanistan, with arms and refugees flooding the province. Small attacks have occurred against coal-miners and oil prospecters.

In 1998 Pakistan conducted a nuclear test in Balochistan. 1998 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ...

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See also

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History